Title: Devara
Evaluation: 2.5/5
Pour: NTR, Saif Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Shruthi Marathe, Prakash Raj, Srikanth, Shine Tom Chacko, Talluri Rameshwari, Murali Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh etc.
Cinematography: R. Rathnavelu
Editing: Sreekar Prasad
Music: Anirudh Ravichander
Produced by: Sudhakar Mikkilineni, Kosaraju Harikrishna
Direction: Koratala Shiva
Published on: September 27, 2024

Devara is the biggest film of this year after Kalki. There was a lot of hype surrounding this film for a variety of reasons. It marks the return of NTR after the globally acclaimed film RRR, Janhvi Kapoor’s Telugu debut as a heroine and Saif Ali Khan’s Telugu debut as a villain.

Let’s see what the film offers and whether it lives up to expectations.

Story:
The story begins in 1996 when a police officer (Ajay) is on the hunt for a criminal and learns about Errasamudram and Devara (NTR) from Singappa (Prakash Raj) as part of his operation.

The narrative then moves back to the 1970s, where Devara (NTR) is the leader of a group of pirates who work as a team to loot cargo ships. They earn a living from this and accept contracts from Muruga (Murali Sharma).

However, after a certain incident, Devara decides to stop robbing cargo ships and helping criminals like Muruga. This decision does not go down well with other team members including Bhaira (Saif Ali Khan). Her encounter with Devara sets the stage for the rest of the story.

Artist performances:
NTR’s dual-shaded performance is impressive and there is nothing negative to say about its capabilities. He is one of the best actors and directors should utilize his talent appropriately when given the opportunity. NTR did his part well but could have delivered more.

Janhvi Kapoor made a brief appearance in this Telugu debut. Her character is poorly written and seems to only exist to have a heroine. It only appears in the second half and even then only for a limited time.

Srikanth’s role is too small with just a few dialogues. Chacko is not used properly and Prakash Raj acts as a voice actor to narrate the flashback.

The female characters may not be well known to the Telugu audience but they have done their roles well. Shruthi Marathe is good as Devara’s wife while Talluri Rameshwari resurfaced in the role of Jogula after a long time.

Tarak Ponnappa is a good choice as Bhaira’s son. Murali Sharma and Abhimanyu Singh seem more like guest artists with minimal roles.

Ajay is good as a police officer who listens to the story narrated by Prakash Raj.

Hariteja and Getup Srinu in the second half were expected to deliver good comedy but they don’t get the chance to contribute much in this long film with too many characters.

Technical excellence:
Most of the story takes place against a water and village backdrop, where the images are impressively captivating. The CGI work is also sufficient.

The background music is good and increases the mood effectively when necessary. However, the songs are inadequate. Of the four songs on the album, one was completely deleted and, as mentioned, not even played in the credits.

Chuttamalle is the only song that is visually appealing. The much-hyped Ayudha Puja song is very disappointing, with unclear lyrics and cacophonous melodies.

The theme song is consistently good and is often used as background music.

Highlights:
NTR’s two-tone performance
Background music

Disadvantages:
Bad writing
Too many characters
No standout moments
Lack of originality in the narrative

Analysis:
The main problem with this film is that it has a lot of characters, but their characterization is not well developed. If all the characters behave the same, then what’s the point of having so many of them? What’s the point of casting talented actors like Chacko but limiting them to just one or two dialogues?

Furthermore, the plot is thin and the entire film relies heavily on visual editing and setups. If the content on the screen is weak, the visual richness or background music adds little to the overall experience.

In a film of this magnitude there isn’t a single goosebumps moment. The first half of the film consists of character introductions and action episodes and the real crux of the film is felt just before the break. Until then, the story progresses slowly and only contains action episodes about the pirates at sea.

The intermission scene is decent and the second half gives a slight sense of relief as another level of the story unfolds. However, that doesn’t mean this part is extremely entertaining or engaging. It’s like sitting on a frying pan after spending time in direct fire. Even characters like Getup Srinu in the second half are not used effectively for comic relief.

Janhvi Kapoor’s role appears only in the second half and it is limited to three or four trivial scenes and one song. Her character has no depth and doesn’t even provide compelling entertainment. She didn’t live up to the hype.

The second half revolves around NTR’s second character, which is somewhat okay. However, the climax is clichéd and seems to be lifted straight from the first part of Bahubali. If “Why did Kattappa kill Bahubali?” was the end of Bahubali: The Beginning, here Devara: Part 1 ends with a similar question.

The entire film seems to be inspired by several other films. Janhvi’s traditional attire in the village scenes is similar to Samantha’s look in Rangasthalam; The ring fight sequences in the second half are reminiscent of scenes from HanuMan and the characters of Devara and Bhaira resemble the dynamic between Bahubali and Bhallaladeva.

The point of conflict in the film is good, but the way it is handled fails to evoke the right emotions. Whatever happens on the screen seems more like information than it has a profound impact on the audience. This suggests that not enough homework was done when creating the script.

Overall, the film lacks originality and freshness in its characters and narrative. In comparison, this film is slightly better than Acharya in terms of content, although on the other hand, Acharya at least had good songs. The songs in Devara are a big disappointment. It may only appeal to those who can stomach an emotionless action drama. The film’s impact focuses more on fighting and bloodshed than other elements.

Conclusion: Not up to the hype

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